Falcon
Samuel Thomas "Sam" Wilson, better known as Falcon, is a former United States Air Force paratrooper who retired from active duty and began helping fellow soldiers who were suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. During this time Wilson became an ally of Captain America during the HYDRA Uprising and assisted him during his search for Bucky Barnes. After the Ultron Offensive, Wilson became a member of the second incarnation of the Avengers, during which time he had an encounter with Ant-Man who was attempting to break into the Avengers Compound. Wilson continued to be an active member of the Avengers until he was forced to side with Captain America against the Sokovia Accords. Believing in his friend and leader, Wilson assisted him in rescuing the Winter Soldier from the government and even fought against his former team mates when Iron Man attempted to stop them. In the aftermath of the battle, Wilson was arrested by Thaddeus Ross and taken to the Raft along with his team mates, but was soon freed by Captain America. Biography Military Career Losing Riley Sam Wilson joined the United States Air Force, serving two tours and eventually becoming a para-rescue man, assigned to the 58th Rescue Squadron. He was a test pilot for the EXO-7 Falcon along with his wingman, Riley. One of his missions involved in successfully capturing Khalid Khandil in Bakhmala, Afghanistan. During another mission, Riley was killed after he was hit by an RPG and Wilson could do nothing to save him. After losing his friend, Wilson found that he had a hard time trying to find a reason to continue serving and soon left the military and focused his efforts on helping soldiers suffering with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Meeting Captain America Running Companion Having returned home from the United States Armed Forces, Wilson joined the Department of Veterans Affairs with the intention of helping people suffering from Posttraumatic stress disorder. While out on a morning jog across Washington, D.C., Wilson soon found his early morning exercise being interrupted by Steve Rogers, who managed to casually run past Wilson several times, teasing him as he went much to Wilson's annoyance. As Wilson had stopped to catch his breath, the two talked about being veterans and their time serving in the Armed Forces. Wilson asked Rogers about the differences between living now compared to the 1940s before recommending some Marvin Gaye music for him to hear to catch him up with the modern day. Their conversation was cut short when Rogers was called away on a S.H.I.E.L.D. mission by Natasha Romanoff, but Wilson told him to visit him at the DVA one day so he could impress the women who also worked there before letting him leave. Rogers kept his word and watched a meeting with sufferers of PTSD in which Wilson helped the former soldier named Garcia who was suffering from visions of IEDs in the roads. Once Garcia had finished her confession, Wilson spoke to the group about what they kept with them from their war and what they left behind, trying to help them separate their time as the soldier from their time being home where they were finally trying to recover. With the meeting over, Wilson met with Rogers who complimented him on his speech. Wilson told Rogers about his time at war and how he had lost his friend Riley during a battle to capture Khalid Khandil but had found a new purpose with helping veterans adapt to being back home. Rogers told Wilson that he was struggling with the idea of what to do with himself if he was not a soldier, but Wilson assured him that he could do whatever he wanted to do. Helping the Fugitives While on the run from the undercover members of HYDRA now within S.H.I.E.L.D., Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff sought refuge with Wilson, which he offered them without a second thought. While at his home, Wilson made the pair breakfast and allowed them to use his shower. Despite his own choice to leave the United States Armed Forces, Wilson felt that being called upon by Captain America meant he had to return. When Wilson learned of the full details of Rogers' and Romanoff's predicament, being betrayed by Alexander Pierce who had order the assassination of themselves as well as Director Nick Fury, Wilson offered his assistance in their mission. Although Rogers was reluctant to accept, Wilson insisted before revealing to them that he was part of a military project that tested a new form of winged jetpacks that they could steal and use during their new mission. Having retrieved his old wings from Fort Meade, Wilson traveled with both Rogers and Romanoff to find and interrogate HYDRA sleeper agent Jasper Sitwell. Wilson called Sitwell on the phone after his meeting with another HYDRA agent Senator Stern, and threatened to have him shot if he did not do exactly as instructed; he ordered him to go to the roof of a nearby building where he would be questioned by both Rogers and Romanoff about HYDRA. Sitwell denied any knowledge of HYDRA's takeover of S.H.I.E.L.D.; in order to get the answers they needed from him, Romanoff resorted to kicking Sitwell off the building. Wilson flew in, caught him, and brought him back to the top of the building. This fall scared Sitwell so much he revealed to them that Alexander Pierce planned to use the Project Insight to assassinate anyone who was a threat to HYDRA the moment the Insight Helicarriers were launched. Encounter with the Winter Soldier Having learned of Alexander Pierce's sinister plans of a world wide massacre, Wilson drove Jasper Sitwell towards the Triskelion, where they planned to use Sitwell's clearance to gain access to and shut down Project Insight before Pierce could activate it. Sitwell however insisted that this concept was a terrible idea but Wilson ordered that he keep quiet while they were driving there and while Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff continued to discuss the fine details of their new plan. However they were ambushed by the Winter Soldier, who landed on the roof of the car and ripped Sitwell out of the window. Sitwell was killed but the others managed to escape despite the Soldier ripping the steering wheel out in an attempt to cause a fatal crash. Once they had recovered, a fight then erupted in the streets. Wilson gave Rogers and Romanoff cover with a machine gun who had stolen from one attacker and fought off the other HYDRA assassins. Eventually Wilson managed to defeat the unit of HYDRA soldiers and went in search of Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff, taking his own EXO-7 Falcon Suit with him. Wilson discovered Captain America battling the Winter Soldier and flew in to help, kicking the Winter Soldier out of the way before he could shoot Rogers. Romanoff then fired a granade launcher at him which caused him to flee. Before they could get away however, Rogers, Romanoff and Wilson were then surrounded and captured by some of HYDRA's infiltrators within S.H.I.E.L.D., led by Brock Rumlow and Jack Rollins, and they were put in the back of a van to be executed later. Meeting Nick Fury Under the watchful eye of HYDRA soldiers, Wilson and the others were taken away where Brock Rumlow intended to have them all executed. As they drove along, Wilson noted to the guard that Natasha Romanoff was losing too much blood from her wound and needed a doctor. To hid surprise however, the guard used a Taser Rod to attack their other guard before revealing herself to be Maria Hill who then used the Mouse Hole to rescue them. Having gotten away from their HYDRA kidnappers, Hill then brought them inside the S.H.I.E.L.D. Dam Facility where Romanoff got some medical attention before Hill revealed that Nick Fury was there, still recuperating from a recent assassination attempt. Once it had been established how Fury had just survived his recent attack by using something call Tetrodotoxin B, together focused on their work to stop HYDRA's plans, discussing Alexander Pierce's betrayal and they worked out a plan to get aboard the Project Insight Helicarriers and reprogram them to target each other. When Rogers told Fury to destroy S.H.I.E.L.D. Wilson stood by his friend's idea. Knowing that their plans to stop Pierce would undoubtedly be met with the full force of HYDRA, Wilson later talked with Rogers about what they should do if they encounter the Winter Soldier again, Wilson telling him he was the kind of guy you have to stop rather than save despite their friendship in World War II. Rogers however remained convinced that he could save his friend and proclaimed that he would find a uniform to fight this battle in. Battle at the Triskelion Wilson, Captain America and Maria Hill broke into the Triskelion and took over the control room. Once there Rogers then informed every S.H.I.E.L.D. agent of HYDRA's infiltration into their organisation and Alexander Pierce's true plans for Project Insight; Rogers urged them to stand against the enemy, when he was finished. Wilson jokingly asked if he had practised the speech or simply made it up as he went along. With the Project Insight Helicarriers being launched and the few remaining S.H.I.E.L.D. agents being led by Sharon Carter in their fight against HYDRA agents like Brock Rumlow, Wilson and Rogers charged outside and began making their way towards the Helicarriers to complete their plan to destroy them. As they jogged forward, Wilson asked Rogers how they would be able to tell the good guys from the bad guys, due to everybody appearing to be S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, but Rogers calmly just reminded Wilson that only the bad guys would be attempting to shoot him out of the sky. On that note, Rogers jumped off the platform onto a rising Helicarrier while Falcon took off to beginning battling their enemies. As the battle over the Triskelion then began, Falcon helped Captain America to install the three special microchips that would take away control of the Project Insight Helicarriers from HYDRA. As he flew closer to the Helicarriers, Falcon was attacked by the guns on the ships, using his incredible speed to dodge the explosions before landing on the Helicarrier where he fought the soldiers on the ground who never saw him coming before they were gunned down. Before Falcon could relax however, he was forced to use his EXO-7 Falcon to battle a Quinjet controlled by HYDRA which chased him down, trying to kill him. Dodging the gunshots, Falcon was forced to use all his speed and agility to maneuver around the ship to avoid a series of missiles which had been fired at him. When a hole was blown into the side of a Helicarrier, Wilson was able to get aboard and install one of the microchips. With only one Helicarrier still needing a microchip installed, Falcon was forced to save Captain America from a deadly fall as he was escaping from the gunfire of various HYDRA agents determined to kill him. Falcon quickly caught up with Rogers before he could hit the ground and carried him onto the third and final Helicarrier, noting that Rogers was a lot heavier than he looked which Rogers then jokingly blamed on eating a big breakfast that same morning. However they were immediately attacked by the Winter Soldier who rammed into Rogers, knocking him off the side of the Helicarrier. Falcon dove to save Rogers only to be pulled back by the Winter Soldier who damaged Wilson's flight suit before kicking him off the Helicarrier and forcing him to skydive down to the Triskelion, pulling his parachute just in time before updating Hill and learning that Rogers was still onboard the Helicarrier. Showdown with Brock Rumlow Refocusing his mission on protecting Nick Fury, Wilson encountered and attacked Brock Rumlow inside the Triskelion as Rumlow was on his way to challenge Black Widow and Fury in order to try and rescue his commander, Alexander Pierce so they could escape during the chaos of the battle. Wilson hid behind a door and attacked Rumlow, only to then be quickly overpowered and knocked down to the floor by Rumlow. As Wilson slowly got back onto his feet, Rumlow removed his jacket and then explained to Wilson that his punishment for going against HYDRA would now cause him great pain, as that was the only way HYDRA believed the would could gain order. As Rumlow continued to rant about HYDRA's grand schemes, Wilson got back onto his feet and told his rival to shut up so they could begin fighting. The two soldiers engaged in hand to hand combat. As their fight reached it's conclusion, Rumlow managed to gain the upper hand during the fight, using his own slightly improved combat techniques to get the advantage before throwing Wilson across the room and taunting him. Their battle was then cut short when Wilson spotted the final Project Insight Helicarrier heading straight towards the Triskelion behind the confident Rumlow, having been successfully reprogrammed and destroyed in the battle. Now using his headstart to his advantage, Wilson ran for his life while Rumlow was buried by building's debris. Wilson was forced to jump from the 41st floor of the building where he was caught by a S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicopter piloted by Nick Fury and Natasha Romanoff. Although Wilson berated the pair for almost killing him with the helicopter's blades, they soon turned their attention to escaping the explosions and finding Captain America. Aftermath Rogers was found unconscious near the ruins of the Triskelion and hospitalized after his fight with the Winter Soldier had left him almost beaten to death and with a gunshot wound in the stomach. Wilson stayed beside his bed until he recovered and played the music he had previously recommended to him. When Rogers awakened, the first words he said to Wilson were "On your left" causing Wilson to smile with amusement. Search for Bucky Barnes Nick Fury's Departure At the fake gravesite for Nick Fury, Wilson greeted the former leader of S.H.I.E.L.D. who explained that he would be travelling to Europe to seek out the surviving members of HYDRA, with Fury asking Wilson to join him on his mission to exterminate HYDRA. Wilson refused however, stating that he was more a soldier, not a spy, which Fury accepted. They all said their goodbyes to Fury, who asked them to still keep his survival a secret before they were joined by Natasha Romanoff, who gave Steve Rogers the file on the Winter Soldier. Wilson confirmed that Rogers would be going after his oldest friend and agreed to help Rogers in his search for Bucky Barnes. Avengers Party Wilson was invited to a party held at Avengers Tower to celebrate the Avengers' successful battle against HYDRA which led to the seeming defeat of HYDRA, the capture of their main leader Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, and the Scepter they had been hunting ever since the Battle of New York, ending up in the safe hands of the Avengers. During the party Wilson was introduced to and shook hands with Tony Stark and later played a game of pool with Steve Rogers while drinking. Wilson and Steve Rogers late spoke about the battle; Wilson jokingly wanted to know why he had not been invited to assist in the fight as he had been helping Rogers in the search for Bucky Barnes for the last few months, but when Rogers attempted to apologize he still assured Rogers that he was not massively interested in joining the Avengers at that point. They went on to discuss Rogers finding an apartment in his home town of Brooklyn. New Avengers Joining the Team